Tag Archives: Zero

“I guess it worked out” – Marisa Dal Santo

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There really isn’t much more to be said about Marisa Dal Santo‘s part in Zero‘s 2009 video, Strange World. Not that I’m discouraged from writing about it, or posting clips of it, or making data visualization charts of it. But, really, there are only so many ways to express “All Time Greatest Part by a Woman”.
And while gender is significant to the discussion, it isn’t really a necessary qualifier to watch this part again and again. It is just a damn fun collection of grind-grabs, big drops, dope thrift store outfits, and our favorite no comply flip trick ever. Whether one wants to enjoy it as just a great skate edit, or as the greatest skate edit from a woman is a matter of context. It holds up either way.

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Trainwreck

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To be fair, if we are indeed going to account for All the Gall, we should consider the bright but brief blowtorch of a career from Alex ‘Trainwreck’ Gall (no relation to Fred). It won’t take long, for his legacy was built on the weight of just 2 full parts. With such a strong impact made so quickly, only to disappear so completely, Trainwreck’s career path has become the archetype of the explode then vanish what-ever-happened-to skater.

As awesome of a nickname as he posses, Alex Gall didn’t earn it from his aggressive skateboarding or monumental slams. He got literally hit by a train as a child.
His skating wasn’t on any radars at all as he grew up and he emerged fully formed as a ball of destruction in his Jamie Thomas produced Wheels of Fortune part in 411 #39 from 2000. He went pro for Zero not too long after, but quit the team while on a trip to New York, thusly never having that Zero part you swore he did.

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Jamie Thomas and the call for the Killaz

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_mg0exFEh0?rel=0&start=68]

update: you can find a higher quality version here (the 42:20 mark)

Jamie Thomas, or any human for the rest of existence, is not likely to ever top Welcome to Hell. While his parts in Thrill of It All, Misled Youth, Dying to Live, even Cold War and Heavy Metal are all pretty thrilling in their own right (and would rank tops in the CV of most  skaters), the only Chief part that even comes close to Welcome to Hell in rewatchability is the curveball that is 2002’s Chomp On This.

At a time when Jamie was fully ensconced as the king of big rails and tall drops, he unexpectedly dropped a part sprinkled with tech goodies, footplants, and what at the time  would be considered ‘dork tricks’. Expectations are filled with lofty frontside 5-0 grinds, bike rack nosegrinds, several satisfying backside 5-0 180s, and the obligatory Adrian Lopez cameo. We even get another classic Chief ‘I-can-do-that-one-better finger’. All the time honored tradition of a Jamie Thomas video.

But, wait, what’s this? Wallieing boards to tabletop tech dancing? Schoolyard lines featuring both a bench front crooks and a flatground bigflip? Laying hands on the Clipper hubba? And I don’t even really understand what the no-comply-flip-in-and-out manual thing was. And then there’s Master P. Against all odds it works, damn it.

In 2002, Jamie Thomas had reached an elite plateau of ability where he could cut loose with uncharacteristic tricks like this and produce something memorable, fun, and gnarly. A land with a short list of occupants such Koston, Haslam, the Gonz, and permanent resident Daewon. This part is also unexpectedly prescient of a future where steep rails and footplants are comfortably mixed in a single video part. Perhaps knowing this silly footage was going towards the homie video that was Chomp enabled Thomas to log tricks that were decidedly ‘non-Zero’. Jamie looks like he is having fun and not taking things seriously overall with this part.

One also hopes Jamie’s wardrobe at this time was also part of not taking things seriously attitude. I imagine the gold fronts and balaclava were just being silly. I don’t know if we can so kindly dismiss the extra-long frayed pant cuffs, the flapping sleeves, and the conspicuous bandana placement. The Chief had more fabric flapping than a semaphore conversation, amiright? The Freddy Kruger sweater kind of makes up for it all, though.

Anyways, I still prefer the Chomp era Jamie kit to that cop ‘stache he is sporting nowadays.

 

Marisa Dal Santo – Strange World

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A recent interview with Marisa Dal Santo over at Jenkem got me back in the loop of watching this part over and over again. It’s interesting to read her story of refilming tricks, broken wrists, and turning down professional status while collecting $40,000 contest purses.

Although skateboarding is embarrassingly several decades behind where it should be in the realm of gender inclusivity (with a lot of work to go), it is good to see a lot of deserving women are getting signature models of their own this year. Regular skate parts, as well as filler park content and bearing sponsor promos, from women is finally becoming more routine and less novel.

Still, I consider Marisa’s 2009 part in Zero’s Strange World the reigning champion of skate parts from a women thus far. The opening slam on the backside flip roll away, the surprise no-comply heelflip one footer, smith grind tail grab, the Stranglers song, the Chicago Bears jersey… this part may have been the been what broke Marisa’s enthusiasm for hammers, but what a part!